Chapter 11: Neighbors

The next few weeks were busy and happy times for both Diana and Emil. He repaired the pasture fences, constructed a small shelter for the horses and hunted while she took over most of the domestic chores. She cleaned the house of the dirt and debris that had accumulated over the years, struggled with the laundry, did the cooking and tended the garden that they planted together. Feminists of the old times would have been appalled at this division of labor, but to them it seemed logical. Each undertook the tasks for which they were best suited and which they most enjoyed. They did things together when they could, and rode frequently. Their equestrian skills improved dramatically and Diana proved to have a natural talent with the horses. Sometimes they hunted together and Emil taught Diana to shoot, both with the rifle and with a bow.

Every week or two, they'd ride together to the village to trade skins and fresh meat for items they needed, mostly food they couldn't grow or hunt themselves. During the evenings they made music together, played card games, and sometimes even studied Clark's magazines. On those evenings, bedtime always came early. Gradually the rough edges of their independent personalities wore away and they merged together as an efficient team, each coming to rely upon and respect the other. There were petty squabbles, but they were always soon resolved. The sexual attraction was powerful and grew even stronger, and with frequent practice, each soon learned how to give great satisfaction to the other. Most importantly, there was growing affection. They discovered that they truly liked each other.

Diana was relieved when her period came on schedule. Their first few weeks of lovemaking had been wild and unconstrained and there had been no thoughts of rhythm or abstention. She vowed that things would be different during her next cycle. Children would come soon enough but for now she was enjoying the adventure of making a life together with Emil.

By mid July, their garden had begun to yield some vegetables and the wild raspberries that grew in profusion on their hillside were ready for picking. The variety in their diet was a welcome change and it caused Emil to consider even more improvements.

"Do you think we could make bread?" he wondered, recalling the wonderful fresh bread that the villagers had made.

"We'd need lots of things we don't have," retorted Diana. "We'd have to build some kind of oven too."

"We could build an oven, and we could trade for everything else. Why don't we try it?"

They went to Emil's worn encyclopedia and determined how an oven might be built. A stone and mud oven looked to be an easy enough project. It would be a home improvement project and an adventure together. The more they discussed it, the more they were excited about the idea. For most of a day, Emil and Diana selected stones from the river and loaded them into baskets rigged to hang on either side of the horses' saddles. It was back-breaking work, but they could see steady progress and by the end of the day they had accumulated a large pile of flat river stones in a convenient location near the house.

On the next day they dug out a base for the oven, a roughly elliptical hole about six feet by four feet and six inches deep. This hole was then lined with stones, and the gaps in the stones were filled with clay excavated from a spot on the riverbank. Then stones were carefully fitted in igloo fashion to form the exterior walls and dome of the oven. Over these stones went a thick layer of river clay. By the end of the second day, the oven was complete and ready for a fire to dry and harden the clay. They built a small fire in the "door" to the oven and as the clay hardened, moved the fire further and further into the interior of the oven. When they retired that night exhausted but satisfied with their efforts, they left the fire smoldering in the back of the oven. On the next morning when they arose, excited to see how the new oven would work, they were thrilled to discover that although the fire had gone out, the interior of the oven was still hot enough to cause grains of wheat to burst when placed on the hot stones. The oven was a success.

They were in the midst of planning a trading trip for the ingredients they'd need to make bread when the barking and low growls of the dogs alerted them to the presence of strangers on the trail leading to the house. They'd planned carefully to deal with intruders, so, with a glance to confirm that she understood Diana went to the house and found a concealed position with the rifle while Emil took his sword and stood at the top of the trail waiting to greet or confront whoever might be coming up the trail. The dogs having given the warning now stood as a pack, silently at Emil's heel, ready for whatever command he might give them.

Soon a young man unarmed but well attired and looking confident appeared at the top of the trail. He stopped when he saw Emil.

"Hello!" he shouted from a distance of about 50 yards. "I'm looking for a man called Emil the Hunter. Are you him?"

"I am," responded Emil. "What do you want here?"

"I'm here with my family. Can we come to your house and talk? We mean you no harm."

"Where is your family?" questioned Emil.

The man looked back down the trail and waved. Soon a young woman carrying a child appeared. The young man and his family appeared to be no threat so Emil signaled them to come ahead. Warily they approached, the woman giving fearful glances at the dogs and clutching the child tightly to her breast.